Drawer-equalizer.



J. A. CARLSON.

DRAWER EQUALIZER.

APPLICATION man 1uLY10,1914.

Patented Aug. 3, 1915.

JOHN A. CARLSON, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS.

DRAWER-EQUALIZER.

To all Iwhom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN A. CARLSON, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Rockford, in the county of IVinnebago and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drawer-Equalizers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in general to furniture drawers, such as bureau drawers, desk drawers, filing cabinet drawers and the like, and has more particular reference-to devices designed to keep a drawer straight and in proper alinement so that it will not twist and bind during its opening and closing movements, devices of this general character being commonly known to the trade as drawer equalizers.

One 0f the primary objects of this invention is the provision of a drawer equalizer which shall be simple in construction, cheap to manufacture, efficient and accurate in its operation and which can be readily and easily applied to drawers of a variety of types.

Another object is to provide a drawer equalizer which will not only hold the drawer against twisting movements, thereby obviating binding of the drawer in its support, but will also serve, in one of its embodiments, to prevent the drawer from tilting downwardly when opened.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be apparent as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the `drawings-Figure 1 is la perspective view, partially in section, of

a sliding drawer equipped with an equalizerl embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the equalizer bar, and Fig. 3 is a similar view of the equalizerl guide.

On the drawings, reference character 5 indicates generally a drawer support which may be of any well known or preferred form, adapted to receive a drawer 6 slidable into closed and open positions in the usual manner. In the present instance, the drawer is shown as supported upon the bottom 7 of the support, but it may.. if preferred, be

carried upon guide-ways or slides, disposedl at each side of the drawer.

For the purpose of maintalning the drawer' 1n proper aiinernent 1n the support Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, 1915.

and t-o prevent lateral movement and consequent binding or sticking of the drawer, I have provided an equalizer of simple construction, consisting of but two parts, namely: a guide or slideway 8 and a bar 9 shaped to slidingly fit in said guide way.

The slide 8 which is preferably made of sheet metal is shaped to form a channel 11 having the side walls 12 and 13 respectively, and in the embodiment shown in the drawings, the upper edges of the side walls are inturned to provide the overhanging flanges 14 and 15 respectively. The guide is provided adjacent each end with counter sunk screw holes 16 and 17 adapted to receive wood screws of a suitable size to securely fasten the guide to the drawer support beneath the bottom of the drawer.

The guide is shown vin the present instance as being located centrally of the drawer. It should be understood, however, that this location while preferable is not essential and that the slide might be located at either side of the center if preferred. The guide is also positioned so that its outer end provides an -abutment against which the inner base of the drawer front will strike thereby limiting the inward travel of the drawer.

The bar 9 is of a width to slidingly it in the channel of the guide and its rear end is upturned as indicated at 17 to travel above the guide flanges. The neck 18 of the bar is reduced in width, as shown-in Fig. 2, to travel between'the opposed edges of the guide flanges. The front end of the bar 9 is provided with an opening 19 to receive a screw 21 by means of which the bar is secured to the bottom edge of the drawer front. An aperture formed in the head 17 is adapted to receive a screw 23 by means of which the head is securely fastened to the drawer bottom adjacent its rear end or directly to the rear end wall.

The body portion of the bar 9, as will be evident from the drawings, slides in the channel of the guide way and prevents lateral movement of the drawer. The rear end of the bar which is securely fastened to the rear end of the drawer is held against upward movement by the guide flanges 14 and l5, with the result, that the rear end of the drawer is prevented from lifting so that the drawer can not tilt when it is opened. In some instances when auxiliary sliding drawer supports are employed or when the upper edges of the drawer contact with the fis . drawer support,

drawer to tilt, and in such cases, the flanges 14 and 15 may be omitted from the guide.

The side walls 12 and 13 will serve 1n all cases, however, tomal'ntain the drawer in as an abutment to limit the inward travel' of equalizer is equipped with the overhanging flan es 14 and 15 it serves to prevent tilting' oft el drawer when opened.

2/ It is believed that my invention will' be fully understood from the foregoing without further description and while I have shown and desc `bed a 'preferred embodiment thereof it will be manifest that various changes in the size, shape and proportion of the parts illustrated may bevresorted to without departing from tion asset forth in the following claim.

it is impossible for the ment, but also as previously explained serves lthel drawer, and furthermore when the the scope of the inven-Xk" -I claim: y j

A drawer equalizer comprising a pair of guide members slidingly engaged and adapted to coperate between drawer associated members, one uide member connected to the underside o a drawer and the other to a stationary support whereby to guide the drawer as 1t 1s moved in and out, one of said guide members formed of an elongated strip of sheet metal having its longitudinal sides bent to one side of the stri and inwardly forming. opposed parallel anges, and the other guide member formed of an elongated strip of'sheet metal having parallel longitudinal sides so that said sides fit slidingly between the body of the other guide member and the flanges thereof and being secured at one end to its respective drawer associated member and having its opposite end reduced in width and turned away from the other guide member, extending beyond the flanges thereof and being securedvto said drawer associated member.

JOHN A. cARLsoN.

Witnesses: l

CEAS. A. FORSBERG, IRA J. WILSON. 

